Ask Michelle: How Do I Prevent Oily Hair?

Have you been reading my Ask Michelle posts here on MichellePhan.com? Today, I’m answering a question that came up in the MichellePhan.com forum – how do I prevent oily hair? A lot of girls have to deal with the all too common (and annoying) problem of lifeless locks; I decided to do a little research and came up with the top 5 ways to prevent greasy strands once and for all. Try them and let me know if they work for you!

How to Prevent Oily Hair

1.) Skip the shampoo. If you read this post, you know that shampooing too often can hurt rather than help; it strips your scalp of its natural oils, causing it to overproduce sebum. If you find that your daily or even every-other-day routine still yields greasy-looking locks the next day, you may want to scale it back a bit. Keep in mind, your hair will have an adjustment period, so give it a couple weeks and see if it helps keep hair looking fresh. Dry shampoo can help for those in-between days, but as with all products, you should try a few different ones to see which works for you.

2.) Apply your shampoo and conditioner the right way. This seems like a no-brainer, right? However, if you’re in the habit of piling on the lather or rinsing too quickly, you may not be giving your hair the TLC it needs. Make sure to scrub your shampoo into your scalp so it cleanses properly, and rinse thoroughly. And if you don’t already, make sure that you apply shampoo to your roots and conditioner to the end of your strands.

3.) Have a healthy diet. What you eat can have just as much of an effect on your hair as it does your skin and overall health. Eating a diet full of nutrients like omega-3 fatty acids, biotin, and vitamin A all play an integral role in promoting scalp health. Click here to read my post on which foods have these healthy hair nutrients.

4.) Use a clarifying shampoo or rinse. Constantly having products in your hair means using all sorts of different chemicals that will build up overtime. Having buildup means your shampoo will have to work harder each time you wash, resulting in the dirty look—aka greasy hair. While it is not necessarily true that your hair “gets used to” certain shampoo and stops working, replacing your routine product with a clarifying shampoo once a week can get rid of residue and help your normal shampoo do its job again. Try Paul Mitchell Clarifying Shampoo Three, or you can also opt for a DIY apple-cider vinegar rinse to do the same thing.

5. Know your hair. Lots of changes—including external factors like the weather or being in a new setting, and internal factors such as hormones, can affect our hair and the way we produce oils. If you keep track of factors that may cause your hair to be oily – like knowing how often to do a rinse or which products to avoid – you can better take measures to prevent it,

Do you have any other tips for preventing oily hair? What works best for you? Share your tips in the comments below!

If you have an Ask Michelle question, feel free to send a message to my inbox or share it with other site members over in the forum. Your question just may be featured in a blog post :)